Pizza Boxes and Broken Bottle
by Hecate28
Summary: Multi-Chapter Fic. Based on dialogue from Series 16 'Change'. He is a haunted man, bearing the scars from his past as if they were fresh wounds. And that is why he fights. But what, or who, put those scars there in the first place? (Jack/OC)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

"_Why do you do it?"_

"_Release… it takes away my guilt and it reminds me to have some bottle,"_

"_What are you scared of?"_

"_It's a long story about an old job"_

* * *

The cool night air struck Jack's face as he walked out of the take-out shop. Whilst the night should have been lit by the moon, the overcast weather had given even the inky darkness a gloomier feel than Jack had ever thought possible. Still, he was getting used to the Yorkshire weather; it wasn't too different to Ireland: there was lots of rain after all. By the greyness that seemed to swamp every pore of Yorkshire seemed a far cry from the emerald Isle that he called home.

He walked over to his battered old land rover, shifting the pizza box in his hand as he fumbled for his keys. Jack had just finished his first night shift as a newly qualified forensic scientist and was still feeling the effects of the rush of success. Instead of going straight home, he'd decided to celebrate with a pizza. At least that was what he was telling himself, in reality his decision was more based on his lack of culinary skills. He could hear his mam's voice in his head telling him off for eating junk food, rather than a decent healthy meal. Of course, that didn't deter him; it just made him want the pizza even more.

"Shit," he swore softly as his car key dropped out of his handle, making a soft clattering sound as they made contact with the tarmac

He crouched down and fumbled around in the gloom for his keys. He suddenly took a sharp intake of breath and pulled back slightly as he saw a figure pressed up to the side of his car. A nearby streetlight gave enough illumination for Jack to realise that he was now facing a young woman around about the same age as him. Damp dirty blonde hair hung about her shoulder, sticking in clump to her neck and face. Her face was streaked with dirt and blood and contorted in an expression of fear. She was shivering from the cold which was understandable given the threadbare dress that hung about her thin limbs.

Jack was about to speak again when a voice called out to him

"Oy mate!" Jack looked over the other side of his car to see a burly looking man standing there

"What?" Jack asked

"I was wondering if you'd seen a girl hanging around here. Skinny little lass, wearing a dress," he said "About this tall," the man gestured

From his periphery vision Jack could see the young woman shaking her head wildly, with her fingers pressed up to her lips. Her eyes wide with fear as she waited for Jack to respond,

"Sorry I haven't seen her," Jack lied, keeping his voice calm and casual

"Are you sure?" the man asked again walking over to Jack's car "Because I think she was headed in this direction,"

Jack nodded "I'm sure," he said "Look around you, there's no one else here. Maybe you should try the take out shop over there," he gestured "They might have seen her,"

The man stared hard at Jack who returned his steely gaze confidently "Sorry mate, I can't help you," he shrugged and turned his attention to unlocking his car

When he looked up again the man had vanished, presumably having taken Jack's advice. The young woman let out a sigh of relief and rested her head against his car

"Thank you," she said and Jack recognised the familiar Irish lilt in her voice

"No problem," he waved off her apologies "Anything for a fellow Belfastian," he grinned "I'm Jack by the way,"

She smiled weakly and got to her feet, rubbing her arms for warmth "I'll see you around Jack,"

"Don't I get a name?" he called after her

She paused slightly before calling over her shoulder "Sinead,"

"Well Sinead, I hate to break it to you but I think your friend might be coming back soon," Jack warned her "He seemed pretty persistent,"

"He's not my friend," she said angrily

"That I guessed," Jack said "A smart girl like you must keep far better company than a looser like him. And a smart girl like you must know that hanging around in a damp car park in a thin little dress is going to end pretty badly,"

"I can handle myself," she said curtly

"I'm sure you can," he shrugged "But you look hungry and I've got pizza," Jack gestured to the box

"How do I know you're not some kind of pervert?" she asked suspiciously

"Charming!" Jack grinned "Well firstly I can assure you that you're not my type. I prefer my girls a little less caked in dirt. Secondly, I don't know what's going on with you and that man but his intentions don't seem particularly chivalrous. I on the other hand am just offering you some pizza. Just pizza and somewhere warm to sit for a while," he told her "It's your choice,"

Jack unlocked his car door and slid into the driver's seat. He sat for a few moments in silence before the passenger front door clicked open and Sinead slid in beside him. Jack gave her a warm smile and turned the heater in his car up to maximum.

"I'm only here for the pizza," she told him bluntly "No one in their right mind would say no to pizza," Sinead said as she turned to him and he was sure he saw the faintest flicker of a smile cross her face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The car was filled with the warm and comforting smell of pizza. The two of them had eaten ravenously and Jack was glad that he'd ordered the extra-large pizza. Apart from their initial conversation, the two had sat in silence both concentrating on their food intake rather than polite chat. Jack watched Sinead wolf down the hot slice of pizza and dreaded to think about the last time she had eaten a decent meal. Her bones were started to just through her pale skin and she still seemed to shiver despite the warmth of the car.

"So do you want to tell me who he was?" Jack asked once he had finished his food

Sinead looked at him opened mouth, a bolus of chewed pizza visible on her tongue. She seemed shocked by his choice of topic of conversation but quickly rearranged her features, swallowing hard as she did so "Why do you care?" she asked suspiciously

Jack shrugged "Curiosity I suppose,"

"He's no one," she shook her head "No one at all,"

"So why didn't you want me to tell him where you were hiding, if he's no one to you?" he asked "If you want I can call him back to ask him," he said making a move to exit his car

"Don't you dare!" she grabbed at his arm, digging her nails into the sleeve of his jacket. Despite her waif like appearance she was surprisingly strong.

"If you're in trouble then you should talk to the police, they can help you," he said turning back around

She let go of his arm and sighed angrily "They won't help. I'm on my own in all of this,"

"They're not that bad," Jack said. Whilst he occasionally got frustrated with members of the Yorkshire law enforcement community he knew on the whole that they were okay. He also was aware that they had to work together and whether he liked it or not they were a team

"Oh bloody hell," she swore softly "You're one of them aren't you? You're a copper!"

"No," Jack shook his head "Not at all. My job requires me to work with them sometimes, that's all,"

Sinead looked at him distrustfully "Are you going to call them?" she asked

"Do I need to?"

She stared hard at him for a few moments and when she was sure he wasn't going to break her gaze, she slumped back in the seat as a weary look passed across her features.

"No," she said quietly "Thanks for the pizza. I'd best get going,"

"Do you have somewhere to go tonight or someone to go to?" he asked "And by someone I don't mean that arsehole I had the pleasure of meeting earlier,"

"No one and nowhere," she said "And definitely not back to him. Of that you can be sure," Sinead said firmly

"You sleep rough," it was more of a statement than a question. Jack looked her over and finally found a solution to the question of why she was cold, thin and covered in dirt.

"Like I said before: why do you care?" her accent getting more pronounced as she spoke

"Can't desert a fellow Celt in their time of need," he told her with a grin which soon faded when he saw her resolute expression "There's nothing I can do to stop you going back out is there?" Jack said and was unsurprised when she shook her head

"You've helped me enough already," she told him "Go back to your life and forget about all of this," she gestured as she made a move to get out of the car

"Wait," he put out an arm to stop her "If you're going to go out there at least take this," he said pulling a hoody from the back seat "It's cold out there,"

"It always is," she told him as she took the hoody "Thank you," Sinead said as she struggled into the hoody "You're a good man Jack,"

"It's nothing," he said shaking off her words of praise "Just stay safe okay and maybe think about contacting the police?"

"I'll think about it," she assured him but he knew she was lying

"If you do ever go down there," he said pulling out his wallet "As for me: Jack Hodgson," Jack said as he pulled out a card with his contact details on "Even if you just want to talk or something, "

Sinead took the card and glanced at it, before stowing it away in the pocket of the hoody. She smiled a silent thank-you and exited the car. Jack watched her walk away; a thin figure swamped in a thick hoody which fell down to her knees. She crossed the car-park and disappeared into the shadows without as much as a backward glance. Jack hadn't been expecting her to act any differently; he knew she was more focused on survival than social niceties.

When he was sure she'd gone, he shoved the pizza box to one side and started up his car engine. Pulling out of the car park he drove back home, deep in thought. Occasionally he saw a homeless figure hunched up in a shop doorway and wondered whether it was Sinead. He hated to think that anyone would have to sleep out in the cold on a night like this, but he hoped that his hoody provided some warmth for the young woman and that his card might have provided a way for her to reach out to at least someone.

Because the way she was heading, she'd been on the mortuary slab in a couple of months at most.

And it would be such a waste.


End file.
